Mansfield drink driver caught on anniversary of dad’s death

Court Reporter

A Mansfield man was caught over the limit when he travelled to a friend’s house on the 20th anniversary of his father’s death, magistrates heard.

Ryan Johnson mounted the pavement on Mandalay Road, Pleasley, in a silver KIA Rio, and banged on the woman’s door, at 5.25am, on January 21.

But the police were called, and a test revealed he had 78 mcgs of alcohol in 100 mls of breath, when the legal limit is 35 mcgs.

He had downed eight pints of beer the previous afternoon, said prosecutor Neil Hollett.

Treve Lander, mitigating, said: “He didn’t realise he was so over the limit. He wasn’t feeling well and needed support.”

He said that Johnson, who is of previous good character, had suffered from poor mental health in the past year and will have to move closer to his job at the Royal Derby Hospital as a result of the inevitable driving ban.